Fine Like Silk
by KittyMayhem
Summary: On Temp HIATUS! Getting from point a to point b is difficult enough with enemies. What if your enemies are your friends, and your friends your enemies? Ranma/Kuno yes, i did it , Ryoga/Mousse. WIP, Angst, H/C, Violence, Sap


I don't own them. DON'T SUE.

* * *

Prologue: _**  
So he's not an Idiot...**_

Sometimes the summer heat likes to play with one's brain. In reality, the heat only makes one realize his bodily needs, like a need to drink more or to find a place where he can cool off. Cooling off the body was an unconsciously subtle way for him to keep random thoughts out of his head, and all relating to a certain act he couldn't find the time or afford to think about. Thinking about it only brought about those he didn't want around him, thus spoiling the mood for his being alone. Taking a chance like this was often with its consequences, but there was little choice left to him having to stay in such a chaotic household.

The soft cool peach dripping its juice between his lips was almost like euphoria after sitting in the desert for so long. He savored it and sat back against the shade of a tree he had climbed just to avoid their gazes. He didn't know where he was at the moment, nor did he truly care. As long as it was someplace away from the madness, he would stay in that tree under the summer sun. He bit into the peach he had snatched from the fridge earlier that morning and looked up to the rustling leaves. He started to close his eyes, but the fine tune of danger had him looking down to a face idly looking up at his own. The moment their eyes should meet, he groaned and sank inwardly. Maybe he should have looked after all...

"Of all the places..." he grumbled.

"I hope you're not planning on staying up there," his soon to be assailant called up lazily. "I don't need a dead body planted in my tree."

"What's it to you? I thought you'd like seeing me gone. After all," he sighed leaning forward on the branch, "You think I'm after your girl."

"What girl? Stop talking nonsense and get out of my tree--if you wanted a place to get away, you could have chosen someplace cooler," he sighed tiredly rubbing his eyes. He yawned and stretched himself out a little more than before he had gotten to this tree. "Do you think its any fun waking up from a nap because your idiot servant spotted someone?" he asked when his rival didn't move. "And do you think I feel like fighting in this heat?"

He certainly didn't feel like talking like an idiot he noticed. "I'll come down..." he said, "but no funny stuff!"

"Whatever. Just come down already....its too hot to stay out here."

Well he was right about one thing. It was getting too hot. With the grace of a feline, he toppled over and landed before him on his feet. The demonstration of agility caught his eye for a moment, but it was gone the moment the thought of cooling off tapped into his brain. He sauntered off with him staring after him, until he looked back and motioned for him to follow.

"It may be the heat, but you can stay in my house for a while," he said. "My sister is off collecting some new poison and my servant has gone to fetch more ice. No one will bother you."

"Not even you?"

"I'm too hot to care. And too horny," he muttered quietly to himself. "What I'd give for some relief..."

He didn't know if it was a good idea or not but he decided to follow him into the house against better judgment. If what he said was true, then the others wouldn't be back for a little while. Anyone with a lick of common sense would stay where he or she happened to be until the sun left the skies and took this heat with it. By then he would have been on his way home and relieved of this incessant need. All he had to do was get through the rest of the day without allowing himself to travel down that road. It seemed simple enough.

"W-what are you doing??"

"Taking off my clothes. It's too hot for all this..."

Well, it seemed simple enough when he had agreed to come in here to cool off, but now that he thought about it, it wasn't going to be as easy as he thought. The moment he stepped into one of the larger rooms of this place, his rival partook of shedding his clothing to cool himself further and faster. Within moments of being dressed in a bokken Master's apparel, he was almost nude. The only saving grace from his seeing another side of him was the thong he happened to be wearing. The fact that it was a thong didn't help matters much, but at least it covered him....some part of him....

"Don't mind me, but it is my house," he sighed walking off. "I'm going to finish my nap. Feel free to do whatever..."

"Kuno...what am I suppose to--"

"If you want something, Ranma, take it. If not, entertain yourself. I'll be sleeping."

Entertain himself. Well that was blunt. Coming from a tired man's lips, he couldn't think of anything simpler to say could he? He turned away to find something to do within the house, but his eyes fell back on the smooth backside of his rival walking out of his range of sight. For a man who could be quite the idiot, he was sculpted rather nicely. All the beatings he took should have given him some stamina, not to mention his constant charging with that stupid wooden sword. If he were to appear before a stranger, he might have fooled them into believing that he had some skill.

"You know what, I've changed my mind."

"Kuno??"

He came back from wherever he had been heading and walked back over to where he stood. "I can't sleep knowing that my house will become a war zone soon. Knowing you, someone's bound to come looking for you," he grumbled.

"Its not like I can help it! I didn't ask for this...none of it! You'd think that I'd get a break, but NO...I have to have fiancs, live in a house of crazy people, and have everyone who isn't anyone coming to kick my ass! Can you do me a favor and NOT remind me of what I have to go home to?"

Kuno rubbed the back of his head idly and stared at him in mild interest. Ranma in turn folded his arms over his chest and looked away from him fuming. Wasn't he one of the jerks always trying to kick is ass in the first place? What would he care? He started to will himself to leave and find someplace else to go, but the surprisingly warm hand of his rival settling on his bare shoulder kept him from going too far. He looked up at him to see that he was still mildly intrigued, but something else was on his mind now.

"....I never thought of it that way," he said. "I'd forgotten you hated this mess you live in. All right then, you can stay as long as you wish, and I won't bother you."

"Kuno?"

"What? I don't really see you going back out into that heat, nor do I imagine anyone traveling this time of day during this heat wave. Fighting in this kind of heat, let alone running from the fighting, is enough to make me tired just thinking about it."

"You mean that? About the not bothering me part?"

"Mmm...for the most part. Part of being in this heat is having to think in the muddled thoughts of being baked. Tell me," he murmured leaning close to whisper in his ear, "What is the point of chasing anyone who isn't to be had?"

Was he talking about Akane?? Ranma kept a snort to himself. If he wanted her, he could have her. "Like I said," he mumbled, "I didn't want this. If you want her, then feel free. I won't stop you."

Kuno pulled away but he was still pretty close to him, and his hand had snaked around his shoulders to pull him a little. Before he knew it, they were walking toward another part of the house. Just when had the nightmare become a docile dream?

"Are you hungry?"

"A little..."

"I've got some leftovers from last night's dinner. Come on, I'll split it with you."

"Whoa, what's with the friendly thing? Are you sure you aren't delirious?" he asked placing a hand on his forehead. "You don't feel warm...but you're sure as hell acting weird. Huh?!"

"Consider it a mild truce. You're going to let me have what I want...so I'll give you a break."

Without another word he ushered Ranma in the direction of the kitchen. Ranma mindlessly followed, his thoughts only on the imprint of strange lips pressing themselves in the center of his palm.

* * *

....A week later.... 

"Ranma....why are you still looking at your hand?"

"Hm?!"

"It's been a week and you still keep looking at it...did something happen?"

He shook his head and lay against his arms with a loud sigh. How did it ever come to this? One moment he was making sure the idiot wasn't sick, and the next he was entertaining thoughts of him kissing him someplace else aside his hand. He closed his eyes and waited for her to leave him alone, but he forgot that he wasn't somewhere with privacy rights. No place in this house had a place for privacy, especially not the bathroom. He was thinking about going in there but he was sure Happosai had rigged something to spray him with cold water.

"Akane...could you come with me for a second?"

He looked up to see Kasumi standing in the doorway smiling like she always did. Akane reluctantly left his side to see what her sister wanted. As soon as they were gone, the door shut itself. He didn't have to look up to know who was behind it. The glare of not knowing what was going on was a tell tale sign of his curiosity. He didn't tell him to sit aside him or to go away for that matter. All he could think about was how warm that kiss had been upon his hand, and how disturbing it was.

"What is your problem??" he asked kneeling aside him at the table. "Are you completely out of it?!"

"Mmm...no..."

"Then WHAT is wrong with you?"

"....Kuno...."

"Kuno?! What about him?? Did he do something to you?!"

Do something? It was more along the lines of messed him up. He sighed quietly again and idly lifted himself up to lean on his elbows. "You're my friend, right?" he asked quietly. "Not just some sparring partner bent on getting my fianc, right? Ryoga?"

The lost boy whom couldn't find his way out of a hallway raised a curious eyebrow to that question. Just what was he trying to get at? "Of course...but what does Akane have to do with anything??" he asked. When Ranma didn't answer, he frowned. "I told you before, I won't sit here and let you play with her feelings..."

Ranma barely kept from lashing out at him. "I'm not playing..." he growled. "I told you, I don't want to marry her!"

"Yes you are...it may not look like it, but you are...and you're hurting yourself for not being honest."

"How honest can you get?! I've told her---"

"A million times how UNCUTE she is...but have you ever taken the time to sit her to the side and say, _'Akane, I don't feel that way about you'_?"

Strangely enough, he had a point. He hated it when he had a valid point. It was like rubbing his face in noticeable shit in the middle of the day. Still, when did this turn into a conversation about her? He wasn't even giving her a second thought until that point. Ryoga must have really liked her if he could twist an unspoken subject into Akane. If that was the case, then she was better off with him anyway. Hopefully he would find his way down the aisle when they did wed.

"Ranma?"

"Ryoga...you have my blessings. I hope you find happiness with Akane."

Instead of Ryoga leaping for joy like he thought he would, he snorted and punched him lightly in the arm. "Would you forget about that?! Jeez," he growled, "she's pretty but I can't live with that..."

"W-what?"

"Shit Ranma, her cooking is enough to kill a man like me. Besides...I've got my eyes on someone else," he admitted lazily sinking to sit on his butt. He leaned forward to gaze at the young man staring at him in bewilderment and grinned wildly. "What's the matter?"

"Since when did you give up on her?! Why do you have to stick me with that?!"

"No one's sticking you with anything. It's your sense of pride keeping you here. All you have to do is say F-you and lo and behold. You're a free man."

"A dead man..."

"Still free, right?"

"I don't have anywhere to go in case you've noticed," he huffed. "I'm stuck here until I can make it on my own...and that doesn't seem to be happening," he mumbled. "The only way I see getting out of this is marrying someone else...or running away and hoping no one follows."

"I like the marrying thing. Go with that."

"You're not helping!"

"I'm not supposed to."

If this was his sound way of making him feel better...it was working strangely enough. He rolled his eyes and leaned on his hands. So this was what it was like to have peace and quiet. With the company of a friend no less. There was no point in getting used to it. It was only a matter of moments before that demon came bouncing in here with cold water, or his father came screaming about something or another. If it wasn't them, then it was Akane accusing him of something, or Nabiki trying to blackmail him, or Mr. Tendo wailing about his daughter getting married. Just thinking about it was giving him a headache.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"What were you saying about Kuno?"

"Nothing."

"Really."

"That's right. It's nothing."

At least he hoped it was nothing.

* * *

....The next day....

"Back again I see. To what do I owe this visit?"

He hadn't planned on coming here again but he didn't really have anywhere else to go. His father was on the rampage again and he didn't feel like dealing with another fianc. Slightly out of breath and tired from all running, he tried to explain, but his body did it for him. He stumbled forward hoping to hit a soft section of the ground.

"Damn it..."

Someone caught him before he could kiss the grass. It wasn't the person whom had cursed aloud, but rather the one whom had been sitting on the porch idly staring at the Koi pond. He tried his best to stay aware, but this sudden need to pass out kept him buried in his arms. Completely unaware to the world around him, he didn't see when Kuno looked to Ryoga hunched over and trying to catch his own breath.

"What happened?"

"....demon...."

"A demon??"

"His....father....engaged him to...a demon!"

"Oh. Well that's nothing new. Come on...I'll get you some water and tend to this one here."

"Wait! Where's---"

"I'm...here..." someone called. "Ryoga, help me..."

Kuno arched his neck a bit to see the exotic man from China stumbling forward with a cradled arm. Ryoga forgot about his own injuries and exhaustion and rushed over to help him. Looking back down at Ranma, he could see that he too had obtained some damage to his body, but how extensive it was had yet to be seen. He used one of his sleeves to wipe away the blood from his parted lips and wiped his bangs from his closed eyes.

"Kuno...can you call a doctor?" Ryoga asked. "I think Mousse broke his arm..."

"Sure. I think you should rest yourself as well. You're not breathing too well..."

Ryoga smirked as best he could through a fraction of the pain he was feeling. "Yeah, well, a broken rib here and there tends to do that..."

Everyone looked as if a hurricane had hit them. Mousse's clothing was torn in various places, and his glasses were shattered against his face. One lens remained fogged with cracks in it, while the other gave him a clear view of a blind turquoise wincing from pain. Ryoga was caked in scratches and the blood he had coughed up trying to run away from whatever was chasing them. The front of his shirt was soaked in it, yet he moved as if he hadn't lost a good deal of it. Ranma, still laying unconscious in his embrace, looked as if he had taken the least damage. The most he could see was a bloodied lip, and a bruise here and there, which meant that he had probably taken the damage internally. He wasn't about to wait to see it proof on his shirt when something finally busted open.

"Sasuke! Fetch the doctor!" he called the moment he should see Ryoga falling forward. "HURRY!!"

As Mousse fell forward clinging to Ryoga, Kuno frowned at the sounds of his desperate screams for him to stay awake. This wasn't the usual chaos that brought a few bruises with it. This was actually something serious, and this was the work of a man whom didn't know when to quit. The blood flowing from Ranma's lips as well as Ryoga's was clear proof. Something had to be done.

"Just say the word brother..."

"Nay sister....we shall not kill him...yet."

* * *

He should have been lying in the grass somewhere. At least that's where he had planned to wake up. Despite his initial thoughts, he was propped up in a bed within a hospital a long way from the dojo. Well, that's what was told to him when he woke up. They were actually in the midst of Tokyo, a fair distance from Nerima land of chaos. Why they were so far was unclear to him, until they wheeled in Ryoga.

He had almost forgotten about that demon his father had engaged him to. He didn't know at the time that she was a demon, but he found out quickly enough when she found that he was formally engaged to Akane. Like always, that engagement brought nothing short of trouble, but this trouble wasn't something to be compelled into simplistic chaos. People had actually gotten hurt, and Ryoga came short of dying from running on a pierced lung. The man was strong, there was no doubt in that, but facing a demon was his limit. He lasted a good few minutes against her, yet it wasn't enough to ensure victory. He had been beaten down with a tree branch for an arm and kicked to the side...but that was after she had snapped Mousse's arm in half. Come to think of it, Ryoga wasn't mad until she had done that. Why was that?

Looking over to the bed with Ryoga lying unconscious within it, he could see a cascade of black resting soundly against his side. The cast gave away his identity, as did the shattered glasses sitting upon the bed. He was sound asleep from what he could tell, but it wasn't a sleep of exhaustion. His muttering was from earlier that day and seeing Ryoga as he was now. He could swear to seeing Ryoga growling in his sleep from Mousse's mutterings. Was he still that upset??

"So you're awake...are you feeling all right?"

He felt like a plane had hit him in mid-flight. "I'm okay," he lied. "I'm just tired..."

"You should be. By the way...she's gone."

"....who's--"

"The demon. A local Shinto priest got rid of her...for a nice price."

And who was it that said religion wasn't corrupted? At least that demon woman was gone...but who knew what else was waiting to pop out of nowhere? He certainly didn't, and didn't want to think of what else was going to happen to him while he was living. He started to close his eyes once more, but someone sitting aside his bed kept him from drifting just yet. From the look of it, he hadn't slept much since leaving home. Just how long had it been since he fell to hit the grass?

"You should rest Ranma. I'm going to do the same...so stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like a child who's stayed up a little too late. Trust me...I'll pass out soon enough."

He didn't know if it was true or not, but he was all for passing out again. Not a second before he should close his eyes, he felt a familiar set of lips gently kissing the non-bruised cheek upon his face. There wasn't time to question it, or the man behind such a gesture. His body was killing him and he wanted to sleep it off more than anything else.

"Master Kuno...is he all right?"

"He's fine...for what its worth," he answered quietly. "I'm just glad we got him here in time. I didn't think Ryoga would last..."

"He's a strong one, that man..."

"Yes. After a pierced lung and several broken ribs, you'd think he'd die from the blood loss alone...but he's stable and recovering."

"And the other?"

"Mousse has lost his sight completely and has a fractured rib and a broken arm. I think loosing his remaining sight is the least of his worries."

"Why do you say that?"

"He was nearly blind to begin with...he must have a way to get around without those glasses."

"I see. And Ranma?? How is he?"

"Dehydrated, has a concussion, and internal bleeding. They stopped it but he's not to do anything to reopen the wounds. In other words, nothing of harm can come his way."

"Do you mean to say--"

"It's time to put an end to this. Call my sister to me. We have much to discuss."

* * *

...Sometime within the three weeks passing...

It wasn't a pleasant thing to do, but some things just had to be done. Just like he didn't like having to study when he was a student in Furikan high, he didn't like having to show people the nastier side of his existence. But they just didn't get it. They had to learn, and sometimes learning wasn't a very fun thing.

"What are you doing here??!"

He didn't bother to answer her. He looked past her and spied the old fool sitting on the porch with actual worry upon his chiseled features. The other man whom dared to partake in his antics was aside him with tear streaks under his weary eyes of late nights calling out for the missing boy. He was sure that the demon was around here sulking as well, but he was the least of his worries. Right now, he had his sights set on the fool whom had started this entire mess.

"Genma....Saotome?"

The old man with worry etched into him deeply looked up with glazed over eyes. "What? What do you want?"

"I'm here...concerning the whereabouts of Ranma Saotome."

The very sound of his name was enough to cause a silence that would have made him uncomfortable once. It passed over him like an ill wind and lifted with the sound of Genma sniffling lightly. "We...don't know where he is..." he muttered.

"If you've come to challenge him, you can forget it! Go home KUNO! We don't need you around here...around here..."

Hn. It looked as if she cared for him after all. Well that simply could not be any longer. Ranma may have loved them in his own way, but one too many brushes with death was enough to cause him to interfere. Under normal circumstances, he would have let things work themselves out but this situation needed a desperate hand to straiten it out. It was a shame that he had to be that hand, but he had other intentions for the young man in question.

First thing was first. He had to get their attention.

"I know where he is," he said. Everyone stopped living within their own melancholy and glanced his way in shock. Well that was easy enough. Now came the hard part...

"What do you mean?!" Genma cried. "You know where he is...and you didn't tell us?!"

"Is he all right?!" Akane questioned frantically. "And what about Ryoga and Mousse?! Do you know where they are as well?!"

...getting them to forget that he existed.

"He's fine...thanks to the miracle of modern technology," he explained harshly. "But it wouldn't have come to this...if someone hadn't been toying with his life. Does that ring a bell SAOTOME?!"

"Damn you!" Genma spat rising to his feet. "Don't you think I know what I've done!? I've nearly killed him...my only son!"

"And you've continuously placed him in harms way...and I bet there's more of them out there....fiances coming from far and wide looking for a man whom isn't theirs by his will...but his father's. How dare you even think to call yourself someone of his blood?! All you seek is an easy life out of the abilities of your son!"

"SHUT UP!!"

It didn't take much to get that old man to react the way he did. Striking a never tended to provoke the hidden skills of whomever had been pushed to the point of no return. Genma wasn't quite there, but he was fighting mad. Kuno waited for him patiently to come charging, and at the last minute, moved to the side of a well aimed punch. He thrust his hand backward and knocked the wind out of his assailant with a neat chop to the front of his throat when he turned around. Clutching his throat in shock, he fell to his knees and heaved for air through his coughing. Had he hit him any harder, he doubted he would have been awake to breathe...

"I won't let you get away with hiding that information from us! ARGH!!!"

Kuno moved to the right of his left foot charging and grasped his ankle in passing. With a firm yank, he pulled him out of his path and tossed him neatly in the direction of the demon charging him with his firecrackers in both hands. He didn't need to do much to take him out. Before he could get within three feet of him, he dropped to the floor and stayed there with his face buried in the dirt. The darts in his backside had a lot to do with it, aside the fact that he wasn't himself. Maybe the boy had much more of an impact than he thought. Well, if they loved him so much, why did they use him like a training dummy?

"Before you even think about it, AKANE," he sighed never once looking in her direction, "I suggest you consider that I am the only one who knows were Ranma is."

Akane placed her mallet down a bit and growled at the fact that he was right. Soun and Genma got back up to fight, but they stilled at the sight of the Kuno sister holding the eldest Tendo prisoner with her ribbons. It wasn't his intentions to use a hostage, but if they were going to keep at it, he was going to have to force them to let him go.

"Now...Let's talk..."

* * *

_"You're acting weird..."_

_"Am I? How so?"_

_He paused in his thoughts about it long enough to accept the tall glass of water he had requested beforehand. It wasn't the cheap stuff from the faucet either, so it was all the more expensive to drink. The old one would have denied him anything with a brand name on it, but Avian?? Wasn't it like two dollars a bottle?_

_"Well? How am I weird??" he pressed sipping from the remnants of the bottle. "Tell me..."_

_"For one...I'm in your house," he exclaimed, "and not being attacked."_

_He nodded and sat down adjacent to him at the table with a light nod. "Yeah...that's weird. Go on."_

_"Well....you're not acting like some pompous jerk...and you aren't dressed in that get up you wear all the time..."_

_In actuality, he wasn't wearing much of anything at all. He had gone to place on some shorts, but even then he could see the fine tan line of those thongs that had been taken off. Those shorts came down to rest just below his knee, and in accordance, rested a ways below his navel as well. If he looked long enough, he could see the fine line of umber hair leading down to the beginnings of his crotch and all beneath the material. Thankfully he couldn't see that now since he was leaning over the table and looking at him through half lidded eyes. Still, the image was already burned into his mind and trying its best to stain his cheeks._

_"All that clothing, even for someone like me, is too much to deal with in this heat wave," he explained. "And as for acting like a pompous jerk...well," he sighed taking a swig of his water, "One has to keep up appearances to keep one's secrets."_

_"One's...secrets? What could you have to hide?!" Ranma asked trying his best not to laugh. _

_"Much more than you think...my dear Ranma. A lot more."_

_Ranma couldn't keep his cheeks from staining themselves with the sudden skip of his heart. "....w-would you stop with the dear Ranma stuff?" he huffed quietly. He turned away from him and stuffed a strawberry tart into his mouth. "Why are you saying it anyhow?"_

_The answer given to him wasn't one he was expecting. Where as he would have expected Kuno to come up with some smartass answer, he shrugged and took his hand again. Shocked by the gesture alone, he shivered as Kuno brought his hand to his lips and kissed the back of it ever so gently. _

_"You are a dear to those who know you...are you not?" he asked lightly. _

_"...huh??"_

_Kuno's laughter snapped him out of his daze long enough to realize just what he meant. Now this was the Kuno he knew. He always had a smart answer wrapped around the words of elegance._

_Ranma was left staring at his hand as he absently told him to shove it._

* * *

"Hey..."

"Hmm?"

"You're staring at your hand again."

At least he wasn't going to deny it this time. Every day he spent in this bed, he would come, talk to him a little bit, and then leave after kissing either the back of his hand or the center of his palm. Was there something about his hand that made it so irresistible...and if there was, what was it so he could use a bit of it? He placed his hand to his forehead and blew his bangs out of his eyes. Was it all in his hand, or was there something he wasn't seeing?

Where was he anyhow?

"Ryoga, don't strain yourself...you know what the doctor said..."

"And I know what my body needs. Right now...I want to pee standing UP."

Ranma laughed at the light attempt of getting Mousse to smile. It worked a bit, and the male Amazon snorted as he tried to lose it. Ryoga reached out and gently grasped the delicate fingers holding his head up. "Are you going to help me or what?" he asked quietly.

"Are you sure you want another fiasco?" he asked just as softly. His answer was given to him upon his cheek and reaffirmed once more upon his lips. "Does that answer your question?"

Ranma rolled his eyes again and turned away from the affection. Over the past few weeks, Ryoga's eyes for someone else had been revealed late one muggy night. He hadn't meant to overhear, but the silent sobbing of Mousse was enough to wake him from a fitful sleep. He had never heard the man cry like he had that night, or seen Ryoga comfort anyone like he had. Though he was still sore from the chest down, he had managed to take Mousse into his arms and let him cry as long as he liked. He couldn't watch anymore afterward, seeing that his chest had begun to ache. Even now as he watched them helping one another to get to the bathroom without killing themselves, that dull ache made him wince. How was it that Ryoga found happiness so quickly, and he couldn't walk down the road without someone trying to kill him?

"Gee, life sucks," he groused. "Can it get any worse?"

"Oh...I don't know. It can get better...if you want it to."

A vase of roses greeted him before a familiar face peered out from behind it. Ranma actually smiled at his presence and sat up a bit to admire the gift. "Who's it for?" he asked, quite unsure if he should be smiling or not. Those roses could have been for anyone...

"Actually...I thought maybe I'd get them for you. I don't know...you seemed bored. So I got you the roses...and some action movies to watch when we go home."

"Go...home?? You mean...go...back to Nerima??"

"Mmm...yes and no. Ooh! I have another surprise for you!" he gushed gleefully clasping his hands together. The grin on his face said one thing, but the malice in his eyes from the pure satisfaction of doing something horrid told a different story. Ranma swallowed hard as Kuno sat down on the side of his bed and took both of his hands into his own. Surprises weren't exactly his cup of tea....

"Kuno??"

"You're going to love this...you see, I remembered something my sister had told me. She said that she'd kill anyone who messed with you. Of course she was thinking of herself when she said it, but I didn't forget. Anyhow...at the moment she's on her way back here with proof that your betrothal to Akane Tendo is null and void. Isn't that marvelous?!"

"....my...my engagement....is...off?? How?! How did you do it?!"

"That's the fun part. You see...my sister has a nasty habit of poisoning people. In exchange for your release, we promised to seal up the little pervert or kill them all when they weren't looking. Of course they had to make a blood pact swearing that they will never dream of thinking about you or acknowledge your existence in any other means than friendly...but that's okay."

"....are....are you serious?!"

"I just bought you a one way ticket out of your house. I thought you'd be happier..."

He didn't know the meaning of the word at that moment. He didn't have to go back to that place...he didn't have to see any of them again. No more fighting, no more crazed people hoping in and out of his life, no more people trying to poison him into loving someone else...all of it was over, according to Kuno. It was so hard to believe that this idiot...former idiot...could pull something like that off, but from the look on his face and the way he was patiently waiting for him to say something, it couldn't have been a lie.

"Oh god..."

Ranma, who had been virtually inept of all speech, held in his loud cheering. The look couldn't be mistaken upon his face, nor could the excitement as he leapt up and hugged Kuno for all that he was worth. "Thank you! Thank you!" he cried over and over, until he was slightly red-cheeked from doing so. "You don't know what this means to me!"

"Well...I figured if you kept living like this...someone would get killed for real. I...didn't want it to be you."

"Me?? Why would you..."

Kuno shrugged. "I don't know...you're interesting. The place would be dull without you."

"Oh...so I'm just a source of entertainment?" Ranma muttered. His grip around the newly reinstated idiot slackened quite a bit but Kuno's grip reinforced itself. Ranma's arms fell limply at his sides then, but it wasn't from his earlier disappointment. It was actually quite the opposite that was taking hold of him as Kuno pressed his lips to the center of his forehead.

"Actually," he whispered, "You're a little more than that."

"....I am??"

He kissed his healing cheek gently and breathed softly against the corner of his mouth. "The heat...was just a means of making things clear..." he breathed. "Its too hot to pretend I don't notice you...too hot to mistake what I feel for you. The pigtailed girl...only reminds me of you...because she is you..."

"....you...you want her??"

"Mmm...not her...but the man covering her up. You did say if I wanted her I could have her...I just wanted this part of you a little more."

"W-wait...why didn't you just say it out loud?!" He was losing the battle of resistance quickly. He had just enough time to urge that question past his lips before they were teased into silence with a taste of them. He felt himself lain back against the surprisingly soft pillows of his bed and remained pinned under the gaze of his idiot turned admirer.

"What's the sense in chasing someone who's not to be had....in the open? If I had of admitted this to you a lot sooner, and in front of everyone else...you would have been too far out of my reach."

He could not believe his ears. All this time he was trying to get this close to him without drawing attention?! And to think...it actually worked! Those teasing lips of soft wet silk barely brushed against his own when Ranma turned his head and looked to the bathroom. Kuno missed his mark and gave him a questioning glance.

"What's the matter??"

"They've been in there too long..." he muttered. "Way too long."

"And?"

"What if Ryoga fell or something?? Or got them lost?!"

Kuno grinned a feral grin and turned Ranma's lips back to his own. "I very much doubt they're lost anywhere else aside the other..."

"Oh. OH My GO--mmmph!"

If ever there was an effective way to shut him up, that was it. He kissed him senseless into a dizzying high that he never wanted to come down from. Was this the way he was supposed to feel about someone when he kissed them? Was he supposed to feel as if every part of his body was set on an irresistible fire that would only continue to burn as his lips fanned them? His spine was like butter and he was glad for lying against the bedding as he had been. He very much doubted he could walk, let alone sit up when his tongue pried his lips open with enticing licks. He didn't have a chance to think before he was dueling with that insatiable tongue looking to draw every inch of raw emotion out of him in that one kiss. Under his warmth and his kiss, he was exposed for the man he was and the man he wanted to be in the coming days. He didn't want to be known as the one whom drew nothing more than chaos...nor did he want the consequences it tended to bring. All he wanted right now was someone whom didn't see what followed him in his waking steps.

Kuno released him for the sake of breathing, but that didn't keep him from nuzzling the side of his heaving neck and resting his lips against the pulsing vein. Ranma closed his eyes and tried to process it all, but the sound muffle of someone doing a little more than using the bathroom reached his ears. He giggled lightly and turned his head to rest against Kuno's.

"Congratulations, Kuno..." he whispered. "You've been upgraded from Idiot...to dummy."

"Oh wow...I'm flattered," he droned unenthusiastically. "So I'm a dummy?"

"It's better than being an Idiot..."

"Which leads me to ask...why was I an idiot?"

"Because you were. You let me into your house."

"Well then...I guess I'm a bigger idiot than before," he smirked lightly. "I'm about to let you live there."

* * *

...And this was only the beginning of a road leading up to something unexpected...

_TBC..._

Please review! :D


End file.
